If you want to save some money on the cost of asbestos testing, you can collect the samples yourself and mail them into an asbestos testing lab for analysis under PLM microscopy. Before you remove asbestos-containing material yourself, you should follow some necessary steps to ensure that you collect the samples properly to do it safely and for the material to be tested accurately.
The first thing you want to do is to get the right tools to extract the asbestos-containing material. I will list several items below that you will need to have. So let’s get started.
- Have a good knife or box cutter. This knife will be good for cutting into the vinyl tile or sheeting and drywall joint compound if you are removing a wall.
- Get yourself a chisel. This tool will be useful for taking pieces of popcorn texture and using a hammer to get to several layers of vinyl sheeting.
- A hammer
- Sandwich bags to place the samples inside
- A one-gallon Ziplock® style bag to put the sandwich bags in, with the chain of custody form for the lab
- 80oz glass jar instead of the bags as another option
- Use latex gloves
- Spackle
- A spray bottle with water and a couple of drops of detergent
- A marker
Procedure: Follow these steps in order and take your time.
- Clear the area and make sure nobody else is around
- Turn off any ventilation system to prevent the spread of fibers
- Wear disposable latex gloves
- Spray the sample section with the soapy water to prevent the fibers from becoming airborne
- Carefully cut about 3 square inches of the suspected material
- Place in a container or clear plastic bag and then tightly close
- Label the bag or container with the date, time, and name of the material
- Seal or patch the sampled area with spackle or another type of sealant
- Download our chain of custody form and complete all the sections with an asterisk
- Place the chain of custody form with the package
- Mail us the package but DO NOT USE FIRST CLASS MAIL (see below)
- Wipe all tools used to collect samples
Where can I send a sample for asbestos testing?
You must mail all samples to the following address *inside Tabor 100 co-working offices:
5 Microns Inc.
7100 Fort Dent Way #100
Tukwila, WA 98188
IMPORTANT-MUST READ FIRST: All mail-in samples must have a tracking number and include our asbestos chain of custody form to be processed. If the chain of custody form is missing, your sample(s) will not be accepted and processed. Drop-offs MUST have the COC form inside your package but not in the sample bag. DO NOT MAIL YOUR SAMPLES BY FIRST CLASS MAIL. Send your sample(s) via USPS Priority Mail, UPS, and FedEx. It is essential to closely follow these directions so our asbestos testing lab can promptly process your sample(s).
How much does asbestos testing cost?
We charge $26 per sample layer. Not all building materials have several layers; most have just one. For example, Vinyl sheeting is two layers–the vinyl sheeting itself and the glue make two samples. Popcorn texture is one. Call us if you are not sure.
What method of payment do you accept?
We accept personal checks and money orders with your mailed-in sample. You also have the option of paying by debit or credit card using PayPal. You don’t need to have a PayPal account to use this method; you can choose to pay as a guest. After processing your sample(s), we will send you two emails—one will be your invoice, and the other will be a PayPal email with a payment link. After receiving your credit card payment, we will send you the result to your email address.
